Uber Eats Review [2025]

Do you need to make money but dread signing yourself up for a rigid schedule and the possibility of being micromanaged? Maybe you’d prefer the freedom to work only when you feel like it or have time and manage the work yourself.

If that sounds good to you, and you enjoy or at least don’t mind driving, then you may want to consider driving for Uber Eats.

While it’s true that many flexible side gigs offer unsteady work that you can’t rely on, the Uber Eats app had over 41 million downloads worldwide last year. So it seems a safe bet that the company can keep you as busy as you’d like to be.

In this Uber Eats review, we’ll explore how Uber Eats works and how you can maximize your earning on the app so you can decide whether driving for Uber Eats could be a good fit for you.

What Is Uber Eats?

Originally called Uber Cab, Uber was launched in San Francisco in 2009 after two friends found themselves unable to catch a cab one snowy evening in Paris.

Uber is a ride-sharing service where users can use an app on their phone to arrange a ride. Uber and Uber Eats drivers are independent contractors who work when and where they want, accept only the rides they want, and make money in a combination of base pay, tips, and bonuses.

Uber and Uber Eats drivers use their own vehicles and phones and are responsible for their own vehicle maintenance and insurance.

Uber is the largest ridesharing service in the world by far, reporting a global net revenue of more than $37 billion last year — more than eight times that of their closest competitor, Lyft.

Uber also offers Uber Eats, which is the focus of this review. Uber Eats is a DoorDash competitor where independent drivers pick up and deliver food rather than passengers. Driving for both Uber and Uber Eats is an option for all Uber drivers and offers the opportunity to build a strategy based on which services are more popular in your area at what times. 

How Does Driving for Uber Eats Work?

With Uber Eats, you can drive as much or as little as you want at whatever times work best for you, so long as you don’t exceed 12 hours of driving in a 72-hour period. Here’s how it works and what you can expect as you get started.

Who Can Drive for Uber Eats?

To drive for Uber Eats, you’ll need to meet a few basic requirements, including:

• At least 1 year of experience as a licensed driver (at least 3 years if under age 25)
• An eligible vehicle (requirements may vary by area, and some areas allow foot or bike delivery)
• Documentation, including driver’s license and proof of residency and insurance
• The ability to pass a background check

How to Use the Uber Driver App

For all trips, you’ll see the pickup location, any stops, the delivery location, and how much you’ll be paid for that trip on the app. You’re free to accept or decline any trips.

Any special instructions from the customer will be displayed, such as whether they’d like you to leave the order at the door, meet them outside, or meet them at the door.

When you’re ready to start driving, simply hop in your car and open your Uber Driver app. You can then choose whether you’d like to transport passengers as an Uber driver or pick up and deliver food as an Uber Eats driver.

Either way, the color-coded Uber map will let you see at a glance which areas are getting the most Uber action and where you may even be able to earn bonuses for driving.

Gray zones are areas in high demand for pickups, and merchants doing a high volume of business at the moment will be clearly marked.

Red and orange areas are offering Surge pricing. If you accept pickups in those area, you’ll earn the bonus amount you see displayed in addition to the displayed upfront fare amount for the trip as well as any tip. 

Areas marked in blue are eligible for Boost+. With Boost+, you can earn a bonus on top of the regular delivery fee and tips if you begin a trip in this area during the timeframe indicated in the app.

To sign up for a Boost+ offer, you’ll need to navigate from the Uber Driver app main menu to the Opportunities section. There, you’ll be able to sign up for the offer until one hour before the Boost+ window for that offer begins.

This short video from Uber shows you what all this looks like and breaks down how to use the map to your advantage.

Getting Paid as an Uber Eats Driver

Uber pays you weekly via direct deposit and offers the option of paying a small fee for Instant Pay. You can get paid via bank transfer or to the Uber Pro Card debit card, which lets you cash out as frequently as after every delivery with no charge.

How much you can earn with Uber Eats will vary based on factors like tips, your location, and the orders you accept.  

If you’re in a small town and unwilling or unable to drive to a more densely populated area, then driving for Uber Eats may not be an option for you. Uber Eats does offer opportunities in some locations outside large cities, so check out the Uber Eats website to see the list of eligible locations. 

Uber Pro

As an Uber driver, you’ll be enrolled in Uber’s rewards program, Uber Pro, when you sign up with Uber. With Uber Pro, you’ll get perks like a free Costco membership as well as various discounts, including discounts on gas — which will mean reduced expenses for you and more money in your pocket!

You’ll begin with blue or green tier and progress to gold, platinum, and finally diamond the more you drive for Uber while maintaining favorable ratings, unlocking more rewards along the way.

You can navigate to the Uber Pro hub from the main menu of the Uber app to learn more about this feature. 

Uber Eats Pros and Cons

Driving for Uber Eats can be a great way to make money with no set schedule, but it’s not the right fit for everyone. Examining the pros and cons of this platform as part of this Uber Eats review can help you decide whether to give the app a try.

Pros

• Work only when you want to. For you, that might mean simply working whenever you feel like it or building a strategy based on what schedules and locations make you the most money.
• Earn base pay plus tips and bonuses. You can also choose to drive in popular areas when Uber Eats is offering bonuses above the standard base pay to meet high demand. 
• Driving only for Uber Eats means you can make money driving without ever having to have strangers in your vehicle. (That said, the Uber Driver app does include safety features like GPS tracking, keeping your number private, an emergency assistance button, and passenger identification.)
• You could choose to drive for both Uber and Uber Eats, giving you more control over your level of interaction with people and the option to work each side during its busiest times in your area — meaning more money!

Cons

• You’re responsible for your own expenses like insurance, gas, and maintenance.
• You’re not fully in control of how much you’ll make since tips can depend on things like who your customers are and what mood they’re in. 

Uber Eats Reviews Reddit

Even the most in-depth Uber Eats review can’t measure up to the lived experiences of those who are driving or have driven for the company. Reddit is a great place to see the conversations people have had about their driving adventures for Uber Eats and look for common themes.

When asked what driving for Uber Eats is really like, several drivers weighed in with their experiences.

This next Uber Eats driver made the practical recommendation that it never hurts to give it a try and see for yourself if you like it.

In this Reddit conversation, one Uber Eats driver explains their strategy for making around $2,000 driving during a certain timeframe. Another Uber Eats driver replies that their strategy wouldn’t work in their particular market. Learning when the peak demand periods are in your area will be important to maximizing your Uber Eats income.

In this more negative Reddit Uber Eats review, an Uber driver succinctly sums up the comments of other drivers about how your business expenses can eat into your earnings. It’s crucial to do the math and weigh your projected costs like mainteance, gas, and taxes against your pay while determining whether driving for Uber Eats could be the right move for you.

This next Uber Eats review has a more moderate take, seeing Uber as a great way to stay afloat between other opportuntities but not as a great full-time job.

Searching Reddit to see what Uber drivers in your market are saying could give you more insight into what you might expect in your area.

Commonly Asked Questions About Uber Eats

What Alternatives Are There to Uber Eats?

Popular alternatives to Uber Eats include:

• DoorDash (Learn how to maximize your earnings with DoorDash)
• Grubhub (Read our Grubhub vs DoorDash review)
• Grab
• Instacart
• Delivery.com

How Much Money Can I Make Driving for Uber Eats?

You can make good money driving for Uber Eats, but there are too many variables to determine exactly how much upfront. Your pay will vary based on factors like where you drive, whether you choose to work during the busiest times, the orders you accept, and how well your customers tip. 

Uber Eats also adds new features regularly that could help drivers earn more by increasing order totals. Recent additions include their new meal-planning feature that makes it easier for office managers to plan and order group meals and multi-merchant ordering, which allows customers to place orders from two nearby Uber Eats merchants with a single checkout and delivery.

Is Driving for Uber Eats Safe?

Drivers may feel safer making deliveries than carrying passengers, but going to strangers’ doors can raise some safety concerns. Fortunately, the Uber Driver app has several safety features in place, including:

• GPS tracking
• Never displaying your phone number for customers
• An emergency assistance button

Can I Drive for Uber Eats With No Car?

With Uber Eats, most locations offer the option of delivering by bicycle or on foot. Of course, you’ll need to be in walking or biking distance to many restaurants and apartments for this option to make sense for you.

Uber also offers an interesting option for those who would like to drive for them but don’t currently have a vehicle. You can rent a car through one of Uber’s partners. These rentals start at $260 a week, including insurance and basic maintenance. You can see what rental options are available near you on Uber’s website.

Are Uber and Uber Eats Two Separate Apps?

For customers, yes, the Uber ridesharing app and the Uber Eats food delivery app are two separate apps. But for driver convenience, Uber and Uber Eats are both available on a single app. This way, drivers can easily toggle back and forth between the two and build a driving strategy based on which service is more popular when and in what areas, or they can simply choose which service they feel like providing at the moment.